As It Seems (Bleach Fanfiction)

"I was giving her advice!" Rangiku chimed in, before Suika could reply. Inwardly, she cringed. An all to familiar sense of foreboding settled in the back of her mind. Hitsugaya, it seemed, still had his doubts. 

"What about?" 

Suika sweatdropped. "W-what about? Well, Hitsugaya-san, i-it's not really-" 

"It was advice on boys!"

Suika facepalmed. Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. 

"Boys, Matsumoto?" 

"You bet!" 

Suika clambered up from her facepalm, her cheeks red with embarassment. "R-rangiku, you know it's-"

"Calm down, Sui-chan, no need to get so embarassed! It's only natural for you to show an interest in guys! Every girl your age should. It's healthy for you to express yourself!" 

Suika's entire face promptly turned the colour of Rangiku's scarf. "R-rangiku!" 

"What?" 

"Y-you shouldn't-" 

"Matsumoto..." 

Suika swallowed nervously. Why was it that she was only now noticing the drastic temperature drop? It could only mean one thing. Hitsugaya was dangerously close to losing his temper. The two women turned as one. 

Suika grimaced at her captain's expression. Rangiku, however, shot Hitsugaya her most dazzling I've-done-it-now-and-I-know-it smile. 

"Captain?" 

"Matsumoto. I suggest you-" 

"Um, Hitsugaya-san?" 

Suika knew he hated being interrupted, but she didn't have the heart to let him make a fool of himself. 

"Yes?" 

His tone was laced with thinly-veiled annoyance. Suika swallowed apprehensively. The cool exterior that he projected onto the world disguised a surprisingly hot temper, one that she usually had to hold at bay during Rangiku's mischief.

"Rangiku is...um... she's gone." 

Hitsugaya blinked. Suika cringed, counting off the seconds in her head. 

"3...2...1." 

"MATSUMOTO!" 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If Matsumoto turns up drunk at your quarters tonight, you are under direct orders to dunk her head-first into an ice-filled bath." 

Suika sighed affectionately. "You know you don't mean that." 

"I-" 

"Besides," she continued as she flopped onto the couch, resting her head on her arms as she watched Hitsugaya over the seat, "would you really want to explain to Captain Unohana why Rangiku has a cold for the third time this month?" 

Hitsugaya just narrowed his eyes, before returning to his paperwork. Suika giggled quietly. She hadn't thought so. Captain Unohana could make the stoicest of shinigami quiver in fear. Hitsugaya was no exception to that rule. After a few moments of silence, Suika spoke again. 

 "Why was the meeting taking so long anyway?"

Hitsugaya sighed. Suika knew that sigh well. Meaning he had not enjoyed the last two hours at all. That explained why he lost his temper faster than usual. 

"We were discussing preparations for the Christmas Festival. If you ask me-" 

"The Christmas Festival?!" Suika's eyes lit up with excitement. 

"Yes. As I was saying, I think it's a waste of time, especially with Aizen still-" 

Suika's smile turned into a teasing grin. "It's not even Christmas yet, Hitsugaya-san, and you're already acting like a Class A Scrooge." 

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes without looking up at her. "It's a waste of time. We have more important things to be using resources on." 

"But it's also important that we take some time to relax every once in a while." 

Hitsugaya glanced up at her for a second, annoyance flashing across his eyes. "That wouldn't happen to have been a jab at me, would it?" 

Suika sighed. He had been so suspicious of everyone since Sosuke Aizen, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen had defected from Soul Society. In the rare moments she could make him relax, it felt like he was an almost entirely different person. A gentle smile graced her lips. Those were nice times. 

"Actually, I meant it would be good for everyone to take a break and forget the stress of the past few months, at least for a little while. I know everyone could use it. Even you, although you won't admit, Hitsugaya-san." 

Suika glanced up at that moment. He was watching her carefully. As she caught his gaze, he glanced back down at his paperwork. 

"Sure. Whatever." 

Suika just sighed affectionately. Typical Hitsugaya. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's done! That's another thing to tick off on my to-do list. This fanfiction is going to be difficult to write. I like writing about feisty, hot-blooded OCs (Nao is a good example), so I decided to make up a gentler OC this time. It was so hard not to start arguments between the characters O_O And I bet you can guess who I'm pairing her with :) 

Anywayz, the person who can tell me why Suika's name is ironic gets a cookie :D Good luck, readers! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) 

Teddy x